


Scent of the Morning

by SaraJaye



Category: Fire Emblem: Soen no Kiseki/Akatsuki no Megami | Fire Emblem Path of Radiance/Radiant Dawn
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Nature, Nature Walks, Post-Black Knight Fight, Soren is not as cynical as he thinks he is
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-27
Updated: 2019-06-27
Packaged: 2020-05-28 05:22:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 663
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19387354
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SaraJaye/pseuds/SaraJaye
Summary: He never could say no to Ike.





	Scent of the Morning

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt - Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance/Radiant Dawn, Ike/Soren: knowledge - "some things just can't be learned from books"

He didn't know how he'd let Ike talk him into it. No, scratch that, he did. It was Ike, and he could never say no to Ike. He had at least three books to finish and a day's worth of strategy to hammer out, but instead he was out in the sunshine walking through a field. Bit of a waste of time, but again, he never could say no to Ike.

It wasn't that he'd never examined or surveyed a field before, he was used to studying his surroundings and he'd told Ike as much during his token attempt at getting out of this "nature walk". That didn't count, Ike had said, surveying the land for strategical purposes and battle preparations weren't the same as stopping to appreciate the beauty of nature or smell a flower. _Stop to smell a flower,_ Soren thought sourly. What was the point? He knew what they smelled like, he knew he wasn't allergic. Why bother?

Ike looked over his shoulder at him and smiled, and Soren couldn't help smiling back. This was a pointless waste of time, but at least it was time spent with Ike.

Maybe he could at least _try_ to make himself enjoy this.

"It's not too cold out," he said. Not that he cared about the weather either way, but it was something to say. "And that rain they've been predicting won't happen until much later, at least."

"Yeah." Ike moved closer until their hands were almost touching. "Isn't it great? This morning is just...so bright! The sun, the color of the sky, the flowers, the trees, everything!"

"I suppose." The sky looked no different than it usually did, and the trees were just...trees. Plus...this wasn't like _Ike,_ Soren thought as he realized what was bugging him the most about this. Gatrie or Rhys were more the type to gush about morning's beauty or go for nature walks. Not Ike. "Um-"

"And even the _clouds_ look pretty! Heh, it almost makes you want to lie down and try to see what they're shaped like, huh? And the birds, they're singing so much more _clearly_ than usual...you can really hear it."

"Ike." Soren almost laughed, shaking his head. "They're just birds, it's just a sky and some trees. I've seen them every day, I've seen more vibrant pictures in books!"

"I know, but..." Ike sighed. "Something's _different_ about this morning. I don't know what, but there _is_ and I just want to... _soak_ in it!"

"Soak in it."

"Yeah!"

They sat down next to the river, and Soren was surprised Ike didn't just take his boots off and stick his toes in. The breeze blew past them, carrying the scent of flowers, and Soren just sat watching his friend. There was something different about _Ike_...not just his behavior, but something he hadn't seen since...

_The night Greil died, Ike started having sleeping problems,_ Soren remembered. Nightmares, insomnia, anxiety. These things weren't enough to cripple him and affect his battlefield performance, but he was never at his best in the morning. Usually he would sit outside alone for a while or practice his sword strokes until breakfast.

"Ike," he ventured, "how did you sleep last night?"

"Ah..." Ike sighed, glancing up at the sky. "Really well. I don't remember having any dreams, I didn't feel any more worried than usual...and this morning I woke up feeling completely renewed."

"I see."

"And...I wanted to share that with you, Soren. You're always buried in your books and that's okay, but for once, I wanted to give you something you couldn't find in any book." Ike's arm wrapped around him and drew him close, and Soren understood. Ike's body was warm, the rough material of his sword belt tickled Soren's cheek and the scent of the grass and the flowers suddenly became much stronger. Sharper. Sweeter.

Soren smiled and leaned closer to Ike, letting the morning seep into him.

"Thank you."


End file.
